The City of Secrets: Illusion
by kokiriforestresident
Summary: Book 1: The City now known as Hyrule has become a cesspool of crime and villainy but only in the cover of night. Secrets will be revealed, a new hero will arise and a long forgotten enemy will show himself.
1. Prologue

Through many generations, a Hero by the name of Link has been reborn to stand up and battle any form of evil that threatened the land known as Hyrule. With the help of the goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore, and in many cases a sidekick, Link would venture to find out his enemies scheme and learn of what he needed to do to stop them.

For hundreds of years now, there has been a time of peace and the legendary hero has yet to be needed. All of Hyrule has come to a truce with the underworld and all now live together in a giant city that was once Castle town. They call this new city Hyrule, after the great land that they once lived in separately. Even the goddesses, including Hylia has decided that they would live on Earth and live a life of their own. They have all agreed that they would conceal themselves in a human form. They believed that if they didn't know what you really were, there wouldn't be anything to fight about.

Everything seemed to be perfect. A major school catered to all grade levels, practically no violence except for the occasional bar fights, and an excellent economy made Hyrule look like a perfect city. However, all that was during the day. At night, Hyrule was entirely different. Violence could be seen on the side streets. There was never a morning you wouldn't hear of murder or vandalism on the news. Even though all that happened at night, magic was used to clean up any remnant of trouble.

In the middle of the city sits the greatest evil to hit Hyrule. Palmer Industries, owned by Clark Palmer, owns just about everything. From the Hospitals to Hyrule Academy, you can't go anywhere without seeing his name. He pretty much ran the city. Palmer Industries is the tallest building in the city. Purposefully built that tall so Clark would to be able to watch the whole city right from his office. From Zora Bay in the south, to the Forest of Lost Souls to the north, he could see everything. If anyone attempted to defy him, he would know.

Now we come to our main character of this epic tale. Liam attends and is in his 14th year at Hyrule Academy. The Academy is a place where all children are required to attend and must complete 16 years. The first 12 years contain your basic classes such as Reading & Writing, Math, and Science. Years 13 through 16 have a higher Math and Science, as well as well as History & Legends and Sword Fighting. Liam isn't really the brightest, but he gets by. He has two friends Jacob and Nikki. As we all know, all schools have that one bully that pretty much everyone fears and allows them to run the place.

After his normal day of classes, he headed home without delay. It was getting close to the winter season and he looked forward to coming home to a nice tall mug of hot chocolate made from fresh Lon-Lon Ranch milk. He was so excited that he didn't even bother to hang out with his friends after school. He may be close to twenty but he couldn't pass up anything sweet made by his mother. What Liam didn't realize is that he was about to come across his destiny and his whole world is going to be turned upside down.

He was just about halfway home when he heard what he could clearly tell was a scuffle, coming from an alley he passed. He kept telling himself not to worry and to keep on walking. He wasn't usually the nosey type but something deep inside told him to look anyways. Not wanting to be seen he got as close to the wall as possible and peeked his head around the corner just enough that he wouldn't be seen. What he saw shocked him so much that he almost fell over.

At first, he saw two men, one really overly buff and the other a bit scrawny fighting. Normal seeing as how there was a bar at the other end of the alley. He really thought he was seeing things when he saw them change shape. The really buff person looked like a pig and the scrawny one looked to be a skeleton. He would normally pass that off as him not getting enough sleep but this was the first time it happened that day. He was about to creep away when the strap of his school bag broke and made a loud crash when it hit the ground. The two men stopped and looked over Liam's way and saw him. He was too busy picking up his stuff to notice the two exchanging words. He left a few papers but didn't care. He'd rather lose his homework than his life. He turned and ran as fast as he could. Both men were chasing him for quite some time. Between the fears of being killed by whatever they were and the fact that there may be a whole other world around him, he just wouldn't stop running.

He eventually looked back as he crossed a bridge and noticed they had stopped chasing him. He didn't try to think why. He just kept on running. He didn't care why they stopped and he didn't want to take the chance that they would start chasing again. He just wanted to get home and feel safe once again. Deep down he hoped that what he saw was all in his head and he was only being chased because they were drunk but he somehow also knew that that wasn't the case. He needed to tell his mother what happened. She knows she wouldn't know anything but he had to tell someone close to him.

Out of breath and ready to fall over, he entered the safety of his home. His mother came in from the kitchen. She was still making his hot chocolate. The smell kept him awake just long enough to utter a few words "You won't believe what I just saw." His mother was close enough that she caught him as he slumped over and lost consciousness.


	2. Chapter 1

The air was warm and smelled sweet. He recognized that smell. Liam quickly opened his eyes and saw that he was in the den. He had somehow made it to the couch but the last thing he remembered, he was saying something to his mother and that was it. "Could she have carried me by herself?" He thought to himself as he got up and pulled the blankets off him. He caught another whiff of that familiar sweet aroma and finally noticed the tall mug sitting on the table. He could tell it was his mothers famous Hot Chocolate. He quickly took the mug and began to chug it, not caring how hot it was. It was barely warm. He also noticed that the fire had been going. He looked outside and noticed that the sun had gone down. He guessed that he must have been out for a few hours.

That was when he remembered the two people, or things that were chasing him. He called out for his mother but no answer. He thought she might be upstairs and just couldn't hear him so he put the not so Hot Chocolate down and headed upstairs. Thankfully, the den was close to the stairs. He still felt a bit weak but he felt good enough to go short distances. He got upstairs and immediately noticed ladder in the hallway. He didn't even know they had an attic. He called to his mother again and still no answer. He slowly walked up to the latter and tried calling for her again. He knew she must be up there but he used up most of his strength walking up the stairs. He repeatedly called up when she finally popped her head down. His mother had long flowing blond hair and beautiful blue eyes. He couldn't believe that she's his mother. Her looks are flawless.

"What do you want?" She pulled her head back and climbed down. "It's good to see you're awake but you should still be resting." She put the latter up and it sat flush with the ceiling. If you didn't already know it was there, it would look like part of ceiling. "Why don't you go into your room and lay down. I'll make you a new mug and I'll bring it up to you."

Knowing she was right, he went to his room that sat right at the end of the hallway. Inside was just the right size for him. It was also quite a mess. He was always too exhausted from the walk home to clean. He had a PlayStation3 hooked up to an old 15" screen, so the picture quality wasn't all that great. That sat on a wooden box he had found outside in an alley one day. His bed wasn't really a bed but a futon. He would use it as a couch when he wasn't sleeping and then pull it out when he went to bed. He also had a little mat he would sleep on top when he couldn't stand the feel of the bars underneath. He then did what he was told and pulled the blankets out and set up his bed. By the time he had finished and laid down, his mother walked in the door."

"Careful, it may still be too hot to drink." She handed him the mug and sat down beside him. The weight of both on one end caused the bed to tip slightly but she didn't move. She had a look of concern on her face. He had never passed out before and the words he said right before left her curious. She let him take his first drink before she asked him what had happened.

"Well, I was on my way home when I heard fighting coming from an alley." He took another sip and put it down on the armrest "Normally I would have just kept walking. But something was telling me to look and see what was going on." He shivered after remembering what he saw "I got up against a wall and peeked my head around the corner. What I saw, I'm not sure if it was real or just my imagination, but the two men that were fighting, from what I saw, turned into hideous creatures. One man was huge, and really buff. He turned into a pig, with a snout and tusks. The other guy was pretty scrawny. When he changed before my eyes, he looked like just a skeleton." He pointed over to his broken bag, that his mother had most likely brought up while he was asleep "And if the strap had not snapped, I wouldn't have been chased by them."

His mother just kissed his fore head, even though he was almost twenty, picked up the mug and began to head out the door "There are things that I can teach you and there are things that only you can discover." She closed the door and without her son seeing, she began to cry. She knew that this was bound to happen. She walked down the stairs, washed the dishes and put the fire out before heading to bed herself.

* * *

The next morning, Liam awoke to rain pounding his window like rocks. Not only was it raining but it was cold too. Although still shaken up about yesterday, he knew he had to go to school anyways. He quickly got up and got dressed. After he dressed, he got some tape and temporarily patched up his school bag. He rushed down stairs and as he walked into the kitchen, he saw one of his friends helping themselves to a stack of waffles. "What are you doing here?" He dropped his bag on the floor and sat down in the seat opposite. With bright red hair, brown eyes and a beautiful face, it was hard to believe his friend was a tomboy. Yes. Nikki his childhood friend. They did pretty much everything together. Just as he thought about this, she stuffed her face with a fork full of waffles. He put his hand on his face and just shook his head. He couldn't believe how she became the way she is now.

"Could you pass me the syrup?" She completely ignored his question, poured on the syrup and kept on eating. She finished her plate in no time while Liam hadn't even touched his. He didn't really feel like eating not with the thought of passing through the area that he was chased from yesterday. Although the choice was stupid, he chose not to eat. Just because it was raining and he'd be walking with a friend, he still didn't feel safe. He just wanted to get the day over with.

Nikki got up and Liam followed. They were at the door when she finally decided to answer Liam's question. "You want to know why I stopped by?" She picked up an umbrella and opened it up inside. Three of the ribs had broken somehow. "I was hoping you had an extra one." Liam didn't know what her motive was but he had a feeling she had done it on purpose. He knew that she knew he only had one. He just humored her and opened his. They walked outside and Nikki immediately huddled up close so she could stay dry. Liam decided to leave the current issue be and attempted to change the subject.

"So last night I was chased by two drunks that apparently didn't look human to me." He tried to laugh it off as if it were a joke but Nikki wasn't seeing it that way. She could sense that somehow, what he was trying to say was true. Not wanting to cause him anymore stress, she decided to leave the matter alone for the day. She could see his mind wandering. She could only imagine what he went through. As she thought about what could have happened, Liam stopped dead in his tracks but she kept moving. She was soaked before she got back under the umbrella.

"Sorry." Liam was just staring at the other side of the bridge that was just ahead of them. "It was just on the other side there." He pointed to the dark street that sat just on the other side. "I was chased up to that point. I don't know why but they just stopped when I started across the bridge."

"Oh come on" Nikki grabbed his bag and pulled him along. Liam was hesitant at first but finally gave in. He knew that there was no stopping her when she started something. He got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach as they crossed. He look at his friends face as they finally hit the other side. And what made him think more was the rain had stopped once they crossed. They were both glad it did, but Liam was a bit curious. Maybe it was his fear that made him as cautious as he was, but he still felt that something was strange about that rain stopping.

"If you don't hurry, we'll be late to school." Nikki was far ahead of him. She was ready to get to school so she could change out of her wet cloths and into her gym outfit. Although they didn't have a traditional gym class, they still had to wear those white shirts and shorts, and sweats in the winter, when not practicing sword play. She didn't even bother to wait. She turned back around and kept on going. This left Liam with no choice but to follow. He had to rush to catch up bet she wasn't that far ahead. They both looked around and saw the damage left by the heavy rain. The gutters and drains were flooded, the curbs looked like small rivers, and even some shop signs were waterlogged and were flickering on and off. They both realized how much worse this side of town was. Their side was mainly residential while this side was mostly business. They had no time to linger and think how bad things could really be. They picked up the pace and continued on their way.

They had eventually come to the alley that Liam was chased from but he didn't bother saying anything else. He just sucked it up and quickened his pace. Once past, he slowed down. He had decided not to say anything else about what happened until after classes. He thought that maybe he wouldn't be stressed out by then. Well stressed about that anyways. To think that there made be something else out there made him cringe. They didn't even look friendly as humans. He then started to remember how his mother had told him that it was up to him to discover things on his own. He knew that she knew something. He would have to try and get an answer out of her later that day when he gets home.

The more Liam thought about what happened, the more he felt his mind changing. His fear was still there, but now a sense of duty was beginning to rise. "Why would I feel this way? What duty could I possibly have?"

"What did you say?" Nikki had heard Liam mumbling and turned to check on her friend. It was like he didn't even hear her. "Hello? Anyone in there?" She shook her head and got back to walking. "I swear, you can be weirder than even me sometimes."

Liam finally realized what she was trying to say. "Oh, nothing really. Just thinking to myself" was all he could really come up with. Luckily the Academy was just ahead. The place was surrounded by a large concrete wall. They had to show a pass proving that they go there. All children, teens and young adults are required to attend. But there are those that either flunk or get expelled. Those special people are banned from the grounds. Liam went to reach into his bag for his pass. He rummaged through while still walking. He couldn't feel it. "It couldn't have!" Liam remembered dropping papers yesterday. In his rush he just thought it was his homework. They got to the guard station that separated the outside world from, what felt like to them, a giant jail for kids to young adults. But he didn't have time to worry about that now.

"Pass please." The guard stuck out his hand to receive the next student's paper. Nikki was the first to give him the pass. "Everything checks out, you may enter."

"I'll meet you in homeroom." Nikki continued on and left Liam alone to his little issue. Inside the walls were three buildings that separated the grade levels 1 to 5, 6 to 12, and then 13 to 16. Out front leading from the gate to the three buildings was a giant garden. It was beautiful with many species of plants. Behind the three buildings was a large field built for sports and when students had some free time between classes.

"Do you have your pass or not?" The gurad was getting impatiant. He was tapping is feet in his frustration. Most of the students may have already been through the process, but it was getting close to the bell ringing. No matter how hard he searched, he could not find it. Luckily the guard knew him and they had another way to verify. Liam was directed towards a set of chairs. The ones that could not present proof would be escorted to the head of the Academy for extensive questioning and if they passed, they would then be given a new pass if need be and sent to their classrooms. Students lost their passes all the time but he felt a bit embarrassed because this was the first time he lost his. He was hoping that those guys he saw didn't have it. Not only did it have your name and date of birth, it also had his address and phone number. Just the thought made him sweat. As the last student got through, the guard walked over and commanded the ones that were in the chairs to get up. There weren't that many that day. He pointed towards the buildings and everyone knew exactly where to go. They lined up and walked down the large path that led through the garden. Liam was just hoping that it wouldn't take long. He couldn't afford to miss out on certain classes.

Down the path and into the middle building, which was also for grades 6 to 12, the students walked quickly and quietly. Thankfully the Dean's office was on the bottom floor. It would make it easier to get out and walk over to his building when he got done. Behind them they were being watched. No one looked like they were about to do anything but Liam thought it was better to be safe than sorry. Inside the front of the building was large. With an area for students to sit and rest during lunch or between classes, a vending area for quick snacks, and a receptionist, this was obviously a major hub for students. The higher grade level building didn't have all this, but he didn't complain. It somehow made sense to him why the buildings were set up differently and had different privileges. They went down the hallway to their right and their destination was right at the end.

They were instructed to stand against the wall until it was their turn. Liam was fourth in line. He was happy yet nervous at the same time. He saw the first student go in and not three minutes later walk back out.

"OK, looks like this will be quick" he whispered to himself as heard the Dean call for the next student. His worry started to fade as the second student came out and the third went in. This one was taking longer than the others. But he didn't really care, as long as his was quick. He though that maybe the kid may be having trouble answering questions. He knew it happens sometimes when some people get nervous and get put on the spot. He then saw the door open and the kid walking out. This kid though didn't look too happy. He wondered what had happened. But he had no time to think about that as he her the Dean yell for the next student to enter. He slowly walked up to the door and turned knob and with a quick motion he entered the office.


	3. Chapter 2

In the middle of the city, high atop Palmer tower, a dark man stood staring out of a window as if expecting something to happen. This man, the shadow of the city, had a clear view of everything that was happening. Not much would get past this man. His gaze was piercing the horizon and taking in any information he could get about any rebellions or witnesses. Outside those walls, this man was a model citizen, a hero if you will. He had the public eating out of his hands.

"Mister Palmer sir" A nervous voice cracked and interrupted the man's deep concentration.

The man turned slowly and with a scowl "What did I tell you about calling me that?" He smacked the desk in anger, causing his underlining to step back in fear.

"Sorry my Lord, but you have a couple of visitors" he pointed towards the door as two men entered. One was overly buff and the other was a bit scrawny. They were both trying to explain themselves but neither could be understood.

"One at a time or you'll both be sent back to the shadows" he screamed as he lit a fireball in his hand and pulled his arm back as if to fire it. The two men went silent as they fell backwards. "Now, one at a time" he pointed towards the scrawny man.

The scrawny man got on his knees and crawled forward close to the desk. "Yes sir. Well you see, last night we were drunk as usual and in our blind drunk, we had a fight that took us to the alley just outside the bar we were at. I know this doesn't sound important but there's more to the story." Mr. Palmer looked like he was getting impatient. "Well there was this kid that showed up out of nowhere. He could see our true forms." He was now lowering his hand as he put out the flame. His scowl turned to a look of intrigue.

"So what does this kid look like?" Palmer turned back to the window as he waited for a response. The scrawny man ran back to his friend and whispered in his ear. Then the overly buff man took a folded slip of paper out of his pocket. Hearing this, Mr. Palmer snapped his fingers and the paper switched owners. He unfolded it and looked it over carefully. He then began to laugh maniacally. "This is what I have been waiting for." He squeezed the paper and it crumpled in his grip. "Now leave me be. I have some...important business to attend to." The men did not hesitate. They turned and were out the door before you Palmer let out another laugh. "I knew this day would come. The plan shall soon be put into motion."

Liam was walking out of the Dean's office. "That was not as bad as I thought. I just need to hurry and get to class." Since the office was only the first floor, it only took him seconds to walk out of the building and head over to his. He was also grateful that his classroom was only on the second floor. Each building had five floors.

He finally reached his room and noticed that they had started math. "Good. At least I didn't miss much." He opened the door without even thinking of how everyone would react. They all were staring, including the teacher. This was odd considering how mature he looked. You wouldn't think a man like him would act that way.

"So nice of you to join us" The teacher pointed over to his normal seat that was all the way in the back of the class. "Now why don't you take your seat so we can continue?" Liam walked past Nikki, who to his misfortune, was in the same class as him, and she let out a little giggle. She thought everyone's reaction was hilarious. Liam didn't even bother with saying anything. He just wanted to sit down and relax. He may have gotten through the questioning, but he still felt a bit embarrassed that he lost it in the first place. Moreover, every time he thinks about that, he thinks about dropping his pass in the Alley where he saw those things. He sat down and his face quickly hit the desk. He didn't care about missing one lesson. He could just copy the notes from Nikki.

When he finally awoke, the bell was ringing. It was time for them to move to the next class. Nikki was waiting outside for Liam. Their whole schedule coincided with each other's. Nikki was thrilled that they had the whole day together but Liam wasn't too happy. The next two classes, Science and History & Legends, were pretty much the same deal. Nikki was the note taker while Liam just sulked. With his embarrassment earlier and, the guys/things that chased him, and thinking those same guys/things picked up his lost pass, he had much to think about. No amount of lecturing was going to help. The only thing that he knew could help him at this point was his Sword Fighting class. Not only did it take his mind off things but it was great exercise too. Sadly, that was the last class of the day. He still had History & Legends to sit through. Thankfully, lunch was before that. Not only was he getting hungry, he would also get to see another friend. Another familiar face would also help him, he thought. Seeing just one friendly face for hours got annoying. The hour of lunch they get is just enough to unwind.

The bell had finally rung for lunch. Liam got out of his seat and caught up with Nikki who had begun walking without him. With most of their classes being on the second floor and the Cafeteria on the first, they would always be one of the first to get there. When they got there though, neither of them saw Jacob.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon." Liam rushed to try to get a good spot in the lunch line. "He would never pass up food." The line moved pretty quickly. He figured they must have a new way of serving everyone. From what he could tell, there were just more workers. "I guess they found good help." He smiled and looked back at Nikki "I guess this means we actually get hot food. Other students around him heard this and began laughing.

They had barely sat down when they heard an annoying familiar voice. "Looks like the dork parade is missing a member" The self-proclaimed head of the building had a reputation of picking on just about everyone. The only one to challenge the six-foot brute was the well-known tomboy Nikki. No one dared to cross her except for the socially inept.

Although she was only 5'6", Nikki rose to take on the giant. "Do you have nothing better to do than to pick on someone new every day?" Their eyes met. "I swear Ian; I think you have more to you than what you show here." She grabbed him, turned him around and pushed him out of the way. Ian was shocked at her actions and didn't have time to react. Ian just stood there not knowing what he should do. He then got the idea to start a food fight. He wasn't going to allow a girl shorter than him to make a fool of him. He grabbed the plate from a passing student. His arm was caught just as he arched it back.

"Now I know that not even you are that stupid" the much taller figure behind him let go of Ian's arm. Ian was nothing compared to this guy's 6' 6" stature. Again, he was shown up and he then proceeded to back down. The man sat down with Nikki and Liam. Being a jock, that was something that rarely happened. Your social status determined with whom you could sit with, so for them to see this jock freely eating with them was quite a site. Moreover, it was grabbing the attention of everyone in the room.

"Sorry you guys have to put up with that, I know you can handle yourself but sometimes they just need to be stopped right then and there" He looked around the room at everyone's reaction. "Oh and by the way, my name is Zeke if you didn't know." He finished off his food quickly so he could chat more. "So what are both of your names? And don't worry about the reactions. I don't really follow that 'you must sit with your own' crap."

"Well I'm Nikki," she pointed over to Liam "and that's my friend Liam." She got back to eating. She didn't know what else to say.

"It's sad that although we live in a time of peace, there are those that want to act immature as kids and teens, and pick on others." He giggled a little bit at this thought. "I mean, we're still teens but we act more like adults. I guess it depends on how one is raised." Liam was quiet during the whole lunch period. Nikki and Zeke talked quite a bit though. And they remained undisturbed. The bell rang and they had to separate. "Well I hope you guys let me sit with you tomorrow. And I hope to get to know you more Liam." With that, they went their separate ways for the day.

"I wonder what could have happened to Jacob that made him miss lunch." Now that Zeke had walked off, Liam didn't have that awkward feeling anymore. "Well if we don't see him today I'll..." right then they saw Zeke coming up a set of stairs. From what Liam could tell, he didn't look too happy. He wanted to go cheer him up and ask how he was doing but Nikki had stopped him. Liam looked at her and the look she gave was enough. He knew what she was trying to convey. They both just hoped that he would confide in them soon.

Their next class, History & Legends, was a two-part course. The first half consisted of the history of Hyrule, how it formed into on large city and the treaty that was made after Ganon's defeat. The second part was all about the legends passed down through the ages. Liam may not have been that good in his other classes, but this was a class he excelled at. They got in the classroom and waited for the teacher.

"OK class, I know that you already know that today we will be learning a legend that has been passed down through each generation of the Royal family." The teacher wrote three names on the board, Princess, Hero, and Demon Lord. "Now class, before I begin, you must know that this legend, although true, does not mean that it will necessarily come to pass again or in your lifetime. It is a pillar of hope for when a dark time arises."

He pulled out some small books and began to pass them out. "To start off, the first Goddess to grace our wonderful land was Hylia. Back then, there was no Hyrule. This world was a land of chaos. During a great war, Hylia decided to save the humans from the great evil we presently know as Ganon. She sent them flying high up in the air in the hopes that one day they would be able to return when the land was at piece. Then with her mighty powers, she sealed away the demon lord. This in turn sent his minions into a state of hibernation. But that was soon to end." After passing out the books, he returned to his desk and finished the first part of his lesson. "You see, the land below became a vile place crawling with monsters when the seal Hylia had placed began to weaken. With all this, the humans continued to live in peace in the sky unaware of the troubles below."

He got up a bit and leaned forward for a little drama. "One day, that peace had ended when Goddess Hylia's incarnation was called upon. She was swept eventually away by an evil wind and she fell to the lands below." He stood up and looked around the room to look for whom he was going to call on for his first question. "Can anyone tell me what the name of her incarnation was?" Not that many students raised their hands. Not even the one that he was about to call on. "How about you" he pointed to a shy looking girl that sat close to the back.

The girl looked up and began flipping through her book like she would find the answer there. She thought really hard and eventually took a guess "Was it Zelda?" She watched as the teacher just stood there. She then saw him turn to write on the board. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Very good" He wrote Zelda's name under Hylia's name. "Now, we all know that the Hero was Link. His name has appeared many times in our lessons, but what I did not teach you then, was that every Link was in a sense the same. After overcoming many obstacles and enemies in his search for his friend Zelda, and destroying what used to be Demise, the great Goddess decided to preserve his courageous soul and call upon his aid whenever needed." He then wrote Link underneath the Hero's category. "This tells us that they had a very special connection. What that really was, no one really knows." He turned to a page in the book and directed the others to open theirs. "Now if you turn to page 33, you'll see Zelda with Link standing on a statue as the land known as Skyloft descends. What can you get from this image alone?"

A boy near the front stated his thoughts without raising his hands "From what I can tell, it was the time the land started anew and just about the time Hyrule was about to be formed."

The teacher looked shocked. He never expected someone to make such an accurate assumption. "That is correct." All the other students turned to stare. They couldn't believe he was right either. "Well, then I can get right to the explanation of the three new Goddesses that were hand selected by Hylia herself to help reshape the land and make it livable once more." He sat back down but this time on the front of his desk. "So from this we can gather that the three Goddesses we mainly worship today get more praise than they should. The praise should be shared and include Hylia and Link." He began to laugh and wave his hand "That last bit was just an opinion so don't mind me. Now back to the lesson. The Goddesses known as Din, Nayru, and Farore were given another task besides creating Hyrule. And that was to aid Link in his quest when needed." He walked up and down the aisles of desks now. "So from here we will be learning more of Links role and more about why he was chosen." The bell rang and everyone started rushing towards the door. "Now I want you to read the first three chapters. Next class we will be covering a little bit more and then there will be a quick multiple choice test." But it was pointless. They were all out the door before he could finish.

The class may have gone by quick but Liam still had to deal with Sword Fighting. He only really loved it when he was able to practice. Ulla (you-la) was one of the toughest teachers in the academy. She was only in her early thirties but she was surprisingly skilled. She sure earned her job. Liam and Nikki quickly headed to the changing rooms and got ready for the toughest part of their day. Liam was OK with that, as he knew that it was the last class of the day. After they went into their separate changing rooms and got ready, they met up and headed outside where their class usually meets, which was in the gardens just inside the front gate. There was a large enough patch of open grass for people to relax. Ulla had other plans. She figured a comforting scene mixed with a harsh tone would help them learn.

Nikki and Liam had been the first student to get there. Ulla was standing in the middle of the clearing with the wooden swords ready to go. With the way she dressed and her flowing brown hair put up in a ponytail, she looked a whole lot younger than she really was. "What lesson do you think she'll torture us with today?" Nikki attempted to whisper to Liam but the instructor clearly heard them. As the others started to arrive, Ulla grabbed two swords and tossed one over to Nikki.

"You shall be my test dummy if you think you're so funny." Ulla urged Nikki to stand beside her. Liam just laughed at the whole ordeal. Although the students that were just arriving had no clue as to what was going on, they were laughing nonetheless. "Now that there are enough here, we can start the lesson." Ulla took a few steps back and stood in a defensive position. "Now today we will be learning how to parry an attack." She urged Nikki to attack her but Nikki had hesitated. "Now don't hold back." The instructor kept urging until Nikki finally made her move. She raised the sword high ad swung straight down. Ulla quickly placed the blade straight out in front horizontally and braced it with her other had. When the blades clashed, Nikki was pushed back while Ulla was still where she stood. "Now this is the point where you attack. Wait until they are pushed off balance and waist no time in making your move." She moved in to make a false attack and stopped short of Nikki's side. "Now grab a partner and practice the block. Anyone that attacks will be sent to the Dean and banned from physical practice. You will be forced to do silly book reports." Everyone did as they were told and got a partner. "Oh and I want you to practice with me Liam." She pointed over to him with a serious look on her face.

Everyone grabbed a sword, scattered and then proceeded to do what they were instructed. Liam took his place not knowing why she wanted to spar with him. Nevertheless, he mimicked what she did in the demo and she proceeded to attack. He didn't brace hard enough and he was the one that ended up falling back.

"Why did you choose me?" Liam got up, dusted himself off and waited for his teacher to answer.

"I just want to test you specifically." She attacked Liam once again but this time she was sent back. "Very good but this is just a personal test. It has no effect on your grade so do not worry." They all practiced that same move until the end of class. A large bell rang that signaled not only the end of the class but the end of school. "Next class we will continue learning the parry and the different techniques you can use." Every student walked back to changing rooms to change and head home.

Liam and Nikki waited just outside the wall to see if Jacob would walk out but the whole school had eventually been emptied and the crowd had thinned. They shook their heads and headed towards home. They had spent the whole time walking thinking about what could have happened. They were so caught up that Liam hadn't realized the alley he was chased from when they passed it. What was wet when they headed to school was now bone dry.

They both remained silent until they reached the bridge. "So do you feel like talking more about what happened to you?" Nikki gave a pleading smile in the hopes he would tell her.

"Sorry. I'll tell you tomorrow." Liam turned his head and gave his friend a reassuring smile. The rest of their walk home went uninterrupted. They sky was clear and any remnants of the rain that morning had all vanished. Everything was as dry as a bone. The day may have been warm enough to dry everything out, but now that the day was over and the sun was setting, the harsh reminder of winter was setting in. They quickened their pace to get home, which really didn't take long at all.

By the time they got to Liam's house, the streetlights had come on and the temperature got low enough that they could see their breath. Liam went to turn the knob on his door but it wouldn't budge. "It's unusual for it to be locked around this time." He grabbed his keys and unlocked the door. All the lights were off except the front entryway. "Mom, are you home?" Both Liam and Nikki entered. They threw their bags to the floor. Liam was calling out multiple times as he turned on lights and searched the house. She wasn't in her room or in the attic. His third or fourth pass through the kitchen revealed a note attached to the fridge. What he read not only confused him but also made him worry.


	4. Chapter 3

The note wasn't like anything she would normally leave. "I have something important to take care of. I should be back in a couple of days. Please do not worry." There was no location or specifics on what she would be doing. This worried Liam more than usual. Just as he had read the note, Nikki had come into the kitchen. The look on his face said it all. Liam just looked straight at her.

"It's OK. Whatever she had to do, I can guarantee you that she'll be fine." She took the note from his hands and put it on the table. She brought him close and hugged him. "I know you're close with your mother but you have to trust her." That's when Liam realized that he could maybe find out what she is doing by looking up in the attic. He pried himself away from Nikki's light grasp and hurried up the stairs.

He stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked up to try to find out how she opened it. There was no noticeable button or pull string. As Nikki came up to see what he was up to, she saw that he was franticly searching for something. She had to stand in his way to get his attention. "What are you doing?" She held on to him so he couldn't get away.

"I saw my mother up there yesterday and I think she is hiding something." Liam pointed up at the ceiling with a puzzled look. His friend saw his face and knew there was truth to what he was trying to tell her. She nodded and helped him search. They searched through each room including Liam's but they found nothing that stood out. It wasn't until Nikki walked back into the room of Liam's mother that she noticed a remote on the dresser. She recognized it as a garage door opener. However, she knew they didn't have a garage. Without saying anything, she took the remote and pressed the button. Both heard a latch open and headed back out to the hallway. The ladder was slowly descending. Liam looked at Nikki and she waved the remote at him. Liam was the first to head up. It was so dark that he could barely see anything. He looked around for any light source.

As his eyes adjusted, he saw a short string attached to what he could make out as a small desk lamp. He pulled the string and the whole attic lit up bright. The space was small but enough to store what you didn't need. Although small, there was enough room to crawl up in and do whatever you needed to do minus the comfort. Liam crawled up and looked through some boxes he saw sitting in the back. Aside from a few photo albums that he was sure contained some embarrassing baby photos, there were a couple odd looking books and some scrolls. "Look out below!" Liam maneuvered himself around the boxes and pushed them down the hole. Nikki didn't have to move but she still jumped at the loud bang the boxes made as they hit the floor.

"Sorry if I scared you" Liam was now climbing down the ladder. Two boxes sat there waiting to be looked through and the two were happy to oblige. Both took a box and carefully made their way downstairs. Liam then lit a fire in the fireplace. They sat down in front of the fire and inspected the goodies that filled the boxes. First, they pulled out the photo albums. They knew they wouldn't find anything in them so they were immediately tossed to the side. Although they were friends, Nikki knew that this wasn't the time for embarrassment and laughter. It wasn't until Liam had pulled out a large blue book with gold bindings that they knew they had finally found something. On the front was the Triforce with depictions of each Goddess holding their own piece. Liam opened the book to a random page and saw that the pages were blank. "What in the underworld is going on?"

Nikki heard him and looked at the book herself. "What is the point of having a book this extravagant if you don't intend to use it?" She took the book, closed it and looked at every nook and cranny to see it there was a secret. She then noticed strange lettering on the back. "Can you read this?" She handed the book back to Liam expecting him to know what it said right away.

"You do know that I'm not as smart as you right?" Liam shook his head and looked at the book anyway. To his surprise, he could read it quite clearly "It says, Only the One Who Is Destined to Protect Shall See the Secrets That Are written within." There's more "To Prove Your Lineage, the Protector Shall Place His Hand on the Front and only after the Mark Is Shown Shall the Hero Have His Destiny Revealed." Both Liam and Nikki stared at each other. Liam just shrugged and turned the book over and placed his hand on the Triforce symbol. "Nothing" It was then that a bright light began to shine on the cover, which then shown through Liam's hand. The same symbol began to appear and the lower right piece began to shine brighter while the others dimmed. After the light from his hand had disappeared, the pages then began to glow. Liam took his hand from the cover and opened the book. Neither Liam nor Nikki could believe their eyes. Inside were pictures but they were moving. It depicted a battle between an older version of Liam and a blurry figure. They were both stunned at not only the magical book and moving pictures, but also the fact that Liam's supposed destiny was to face an unknown force.

"Wait!" Nikki grabbed Liam's shoulder at her thought "Remember in History when we learned of Ganon's defeat?" Liam gave a nod. "Well what if someone is trying to revive him after all this time and you will have to face him?" A clash of thunder could then be heard outside.

"Well whatever the case, we need to find out what my mother is up to." Just as Liam had said that, the page glowed and the battle scene changed to a large map. The map had three dots. A red and green dot was on their location and a yellow dot was just past the Academy and outside the city's perimeter in a forest. He could see that it was moving. Liam rushed back up to his room and grabbed a baseball bat from his room. He then took his bag and dumped out all his books and papers, and replaced them with the giant book. He grabbed the umbrella and before he headed out the door, he looked over at Nikki who was still sitting in the den confused as to what he was doing "Are you coming?" She got up and rushed out the door behind him.

Though there was plenty of lightning and thunder, no rain had fallen. For unknown reasons, when they reached the Academy, the air felt ominous. Liam prepared his bat for anything that may pop out. They slowly walked the length of wall until they reached the edge of the forest. Only the really brave or really stupid entered the woods as no one that entered ever returned, or so Liam had heard. He lowered his bat and took another look at the book. The dot had stopped and from what he could see, it looked like there was a small building deep in the woods. He closed the book and prepared himself for anything but Nikki just grabbed his shoulder and shook her head. He wanted to know what his mother was up to and didn't care what Nikki was thinking right now. He raised his bat once more and disappeared into the forest, leaving his friend behind.

Inside it was dark but not so much that he couldn't see. He could make out the trees and some of the vegetation. He crept slowly through the forest while trying to watch for anything that could pop out. "Man I wish I had thought of a flashlight" Liam shook his head at his forgetfulness. "I can remember a weapon but I can't remember a simple tool to light my way?" It was then that he started seeing red eyes pop up in the distance. He could tell that they were a nice distance away. The only thing that freaked him out was the fact that they were staring right at him. About 300 yards in, he decided to check the book again to see if he was heading in the right direction. Luckily, the lights from the dots were shining brightly on the page. He saw his location, Nikki at the edge, and the dot that he thought had to be his mother still in the same spot. He felt he lucked out as the building looked to be about the same distance west of his current position. He was about to close the book when he was struck with a stroke of genius. He faced the open book out in front of him in the hopes that the light would increase his view but sadly it only lit up a few inches and the light was too widespread. He closed the book, placed it back in his bag and returned to his walking. He clutched the bat harder as more of the red eyes popped up. They seemed to be watching him. He didn't think that whatever they were would attack but he didn't want to take a chance. His grasp stayed firm as he made his way to his destination.

The sky had begun to clear and the moon lit up the forest. He was still about 150 yards off but he could see a church in the distance. It was quite large and hard to miss. With vines covering almost every square inch of the place, he could tell easily tell that it had to be hundreds of years old. He could also see a dim light coming from the stained glass window that sat just above the doorway. Not knowing what to expect, he quickened his pace while trying to stay as quiet as possible. The moon helped him miss the heavier patches of leaves but there was no escaping the small twigs. He would squint his eyes every time he heard the noticeable crack. He would then peek around to see if the eyes had moved or done anything at all but they just sat in the same spot and just watched him. This made the eyes that much creepier. He shivered and then returned to walking.

When he felt he was close enough, he threw caution to the wind and made a mad dash to the door. From where he first got a glimpse of the building, the doors looked to be normal size but close up, they were at least three times his height. He looked back and saw that the eyes had vanished. He also thought he could hear a faint rustling in the distance. He could tell that it was pretty far away, so, with all of his strength, he opened the doors and entered the old building.

Inside looked nothing like the outside. While the outside looked old and was breaking apart, the inside looked untouched by the hands of time. Looking at the rows of seats, he could tell that he was now in a Church or Cathedral. The chandeliers, hanging high above, were still swinging from the small blast of air that was created when he opened the door. Below him sat a long red carpet that extended the length of the middle aisle, all the way up to what he saw was a single Goddess holding a harp. Below the statue he saw a sword in a glass case. He snapped out of his astonishment as he saw his mother walk out from a corridor on his right.

Hearing his footsteps as he ran, Heather turned in shock and gasped as she saw Liam draw closer. "What are you doing here?" She put a hand out to stop him from hugging her. "And besides that, how did you even know where I was?" Her slight anger quickly turned to confusion at this thought. Liam went in his bag and pulled out the book he had found and showed it to his mother while trying to give a 'forgive me' smile. She took the book and opened it to see the exact same map as Liam was shown. "How did you" She then reached for her pockets and noticed she had forgotten the remote. "I guess I am to blame for this." She pointed to a bench and told Liam to sit down." OK, so you will get some answers today, but only enough to get you started on what you need to do." She went back through the corridor and not five minutes later, she came back out with a long box.

"Now before I show you what is in this box, I must tell you who I really am" She sat the box down in front of Liam and brought her hands together as if to pray. A silky white dress began to replace her normal clothing, a harp appeared in her right hand and she made the same pose as the statue. It didn't take Liam long to piece things together. He stared wide-eyed and his jaw dropped. All he could do was point in shock. "Now that you know who I am, I can tell you a little bit about why I am here." Heather sat next to Liam and placed the harp in her lap. "You see, I have been working on something that will help the hero a great deal when his soul would return." She picked up the box and began to open it but quickly shut it before Liam could get a good look at what was inside. "Now before I show this to you, you must know that not everything is as it appears. Everything has an underlying truth." Liam just nodded and she opened the box once more.

Liam was at a half smile when he finally got to see what was in the box. "This is it?" His half smile quickly faded. Inside were a plain brown fingerless glove and a small folded slip of paper. "Sorry to be so rude but this is what you have been working on?"

"Don't you take that tone with me" Liam's mother smacked him across the face leaving a small red spot where her hand had hit. "What did I just get done telling you?" Just then and eerie wind had blown through the church. "Please tell me you closed the door." She looked at the entry way and finally noticed that the door was fully open. She tried to fly over to close it but it was too late. An army of grass-like creatures with long snouts had made it in. "Liam, I want you to run and take the left corridor and open the door all the way at the end."

"I will stay and help you." Liam refused to follow the orders he was given.

"This is no time to play Hero." She made a sword appear out of thin air and fought off three of the monsters before turning back. "Go now, I'll be fine" This time Liam looked into his mothers eyes and knew just how serious she was. Even though he now wanted to do as he was told, something inside of him was telling him not to. Before he knew it, his body was moving towards the box that was sitting where his mother had dropped it. He opened it and placed the glove on his right hand. It was as if he was being controlled. He didn't know what was happening. The glove began to glow, and change right before his eyes. Not only the glove, but also his clothes were changing. After the change, he saw that the glove took up half of his arm and that it was covered in silver plates. He then noticed was wearing a green medieval style outfit. He even had a hat. He had no time to think, he grabbed his bat and rushed in to battle the mysterious foes. Liam knocked back four monsters in one swing. His mother saw this and instead of being angry that he disobeyed her, she praised him on his good hits. They fought off 50 or so before a giant one had squeezed its way in through the large doors. By this time, over half of benches had been either completely smashed or broken and against the wall.

The large monster just stood in the middle of the middle of the room in a taunting manner, almost as if it was waiting for them to make the first move. This gave Heather the chance to tell Liam what to do next. "Liam, I have no real time to explain but imagine a sword materializing in your hand." Liam shrugged and looked at the bat in his right hand and right before his eyes the bat disappeared and a normal blade had replaced it. "Now use that sword to defeat that creature. I used up to much of my energy earlier while putting on the finishing touches, so I was pushing myself during the first wave." Liam somehow knew the perfect technique to defeat his large foe. He ran up to the large beast, climbed its body and rammed the sword straight down into its head. With one blow it was defeated. The monster fell over and he hopped off to check on his mother.

"Are you OK?" Liam reached over to give his mother a hand up as she was now kneeling on the floor.

"I'm OK but I need to return to the heavens to recuperate. I have just enough energy to return." She pointed over to the left corridor once again. "Now take the door at the end of the hallway. Once you close the door behind you, do what you can to destroy the doorknob on your end." She handed him his bag and the box the glove was in, and instructed him to take that as well. She gave him a light kiss on the forehead and began to fly into the air. "Oh and find the other Goddesses, they will help you with whatever you may need." With those final words she was gone. He had no time to feel sad as he heard yet another wave of monsters approaching. He didn't bother taking the risk of fighting them and he made a mad dash through the corridor and down the long hallway. As she said, the door was there. He opened it, rushed through it, and just as he saw the monster flood the hallway heading towards him, he slammed the door shut and began to work on breaking the doorknob. He took one great swing with the sword and off it came like butter.

He sat down with exhaustion and was finally able to get a good look at where he was. He back at home in his mother's room. He came out of her closet. He then felt the glove return to its original form. His clothes did the same. He was back to wearing his old clothes. Remembering Nikki, he quickly pulled out the book and hoped that the map with their locations were still there. It was and he saw that she had made it home safely. He thought he'd give her a call later once he rested a bit. He pulled the glove off and put it back in the box for now. He took out the note and read what it had to say.

"This is the Dimensional Gauntlet. Sewn together with my own magic, the wearer or I hope the Hero, can switch out items and weapons at will from a small dimension that I have also created. All the wearer has to do is visualize the item type or if skilled enough, the exact item, and it will appear. The Gauntlet only works when it senses danger. Once any danger passes, the Gauntlet will revert to its original form."

The note was signed by Hylia. Seeing this made him sad but not as sad as he would normally be. He felt something changing in him. He wasn't sure if it was good or bad. He just thought of his mother's words as he slumped over and drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 4

The next morning Liam awoke to a blinding light. He slowly got up and took in his surroundings. He looked at his right arm and remembered the fight from the previous evening. He grabbed the book and looked at the map. He saw Nikki still at her home. Relieved he closed the book shut and went to his room to change. He took gauntlet off and stared at it for a minute. He couldn't believe that something so plain could hold so much power. He just tossed it off to the side onto his futon and quickly changed. Again, the last words from his mother were racing through his mind. "Find the other Goddesses; they will help you with whatever you may need."He had no idea who he had to find but he was sure he would find his answer in the rest of the stuff his mother tried to hide from him. After putting on his socks and shoes, he headed out to try to meet up with his friend before she left for school.

Not bothering to grab his books or school bag, he headed out the door and headed down an alley that connected their streets. He used this alley every time he would want to hang with her. It was just barely wide enough for a small car to get through. It was also surprisingly clean. Usually he would have to dodge trashcans and dumpsters but since he was visiting during a school day and trash pickup was on the weekend, he could see straight to the next block. This made it that much easier to catch Nikki before she normally leaves. He got to the end and made a right turn and her house was the second from the end. Every house in that area was pretty much the same. With the same floor layout and number of floors, he would sometimes feel like he was in a dull old town. Only the interior and exterior designs gave a small sense of diversity. Just as Liam got to her front steps, Nikki was already closing and locking her door.

"What are you doing here?" She was shocked to see him there so early. She was also the one that would usually meet up with him. "Why aren't you wearing your school uniform?" She eyed him up and down to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "Also we need to talk about what happened to you last night"

"There is no time for that right now" Liam stopped her before she could finish. He grabbed her hand, and led her down and back through the alley. "We will be skipping school today. There are more important matters to attend to". Nikki was quiet as she dragged all the way back into Liam's place. He pulled her through the door and back into the den. "We have to look for anything with an address in these boxes." Nikki didn't have time to say anything as Liam had quickly made his way back upstairs and back up into the attic. He pulled a few more boxes down and sat them in the den with the others. Most of the stuff looked like normal junk to the both of them but Liam was not taking any chances. He had questions and he was determined to get them answered one way or another.

"So what exactly happened last night? I mean I am sorry I left you but something didn't feel right." Nikki was rummaging through her specified box but wasn't paying much attention. Liam had just ignored her and continued looking.

"Ah ha" Liam held up a small address book. Nikki immediately stopped what she was doing to look at what Liam had found. She saw an ordinary black address book. To her it didn't seem special compared to the other book they found yesterday. She thought that they would have found something more extravagant. Either way, she watched as Liam opened the book and flipped through its pages. All were blank except one. Just a few pages from the back, the name of a shop was scribbled 'Felicity's Antiques'. He didn't see an address but he knew how to find out where it was located. He shot up and ran to the kitchen to grab a phone book. He brought it back in the den with him and slammed it onto the table in front of the couch. He flipped it open and began flipping through. "A, D, E, F. OK, now to find the name Felicity." Nikki just sat there and watched as Liam searched in earnest. "Fa, Fd, Fe. Here we go, Felicity's Antiques. 2245 Greenspring Lane." They both looked at each other and knew just how far it was.

"Since it's on the other side of the city and nearly half the day has passed, why don't we head out early tomorrow?" Nikki got up and instinctively brushed off her legs. "Besides, tomorrow is Saturday and we don't have school tomorrow." Liam just smiled and nodded his approval. "Now if there is nothing left to do, I would like to go home and try to explain why I was absent to my parents." With that, she walked out the door. Liam didn't really bother to clean up the mess right away. He headed straight upstairs to take a quick shower. He forgot to take one earlier that morning as he had so much on his mind. He still felt that way but not as much. In his room he tore off all of his clothes, grabbed the towel that hung off the back of his door and quickly wrapped himself up. Before heading to the bathroom, he picked up the gauntlet and took another hard look at it. He shook his head back and forth to try to take in all of reality. "So my mother is a Goddess, she is powerful, and there is another world out there that most are unaware of?" He tossed it back on the futon and headed out to the bathroom.

Once inside, he closed the door. In the mirror that was attached to the door, he saw cuts and bruises that he hadn't noticed before. He figured that with all the fighting he did, how would he have? He was about start the water when he heard something pass by the small window. It was quite loud but he just passed it off as a small bird. He turned the water on and heard it again. Stopping the water, he took a peek out the window. Even though it was just after midday, there was a flock of keese swooping back and forth down the alleyway. He immediately got a bad feeling and rushed back out to his room.

His hunch was right. Just outside of his window, he saw a pig creature trying to break in. He grabbed the gauntlet and put it on. His towel was quickly replaced by the outfit he had on yesterday evening. This time though he could not get the sword to appear. The monster smashed the window and made its way in. Not wanting to waste anymore time, he grabbed the closest thing to him, which was sadly his television. He tossed it; knocking the monster over. Taking this opportunity, he grabbed a clean pair of clothes from his dresser and shut the door as he made his way out to the hallway. Downstairs he was greeted by two more of those nasty things that had busted the front door down. He had to get out at all cost. He jumped over the little bit of railing and dodged each of their attacks as he made his way to his bag. He stuffed the cloths in his bag and rushed out the door. What awaited him, not even he could believe. It was as if the sun had already set. The massive amount of keese filled the sky. They were flying around in a circle and to him it looked like they were awaiting a command.

He didn't wait to find out as he rushed towards the alley that connects his and Nikki's streets. He didn't bother to look back but he could hear the smashing of windows and crashing of furniture being tossed about. At the end of the alley, he saw more of those pig monsters. He ducked behind a couple trashcans just as they turned around. Psst! He heard a noise coming from behind him. He turned around to see Nikki on the other side of the fence.

"Hurry up and follow me." She quietly opened the gate and let Liam in. "Only when we are safe will we be able to talk about this mess." She didn't give him time to answer as she led him through the backyards. It was clear there do Liam knew that they were only focusing on his home. Well what was left of it anyway. They had eventually made it to the back of the end house and in the middle of the yard sat a manhole. For years, everyone thought it was stupid that a manhole was randomly placed there. Nevertheless, today Liam and Nikki were happy. As quietly as they could, both pulled with all their might. The cover slowly came off, releasing a pungent order. In the distance they heard squealing and footsteps. They wasted no time. Nikki jumped down first and made a surprisingly quiet splash. Liam slowly followed after. He crawled down so that he could close the manhole after him. After he was sure it was shut, he dropped the rest of the way down. The only light was the beams coming from the cover.

"Now what?" Liam could just barely make out Nikki's face. "I should have brought..." but he was cut off as he was blinded by the bright light that came from the flashlight he now saw Nikki carrying. "I bet you think you're real funny?"

"I don't think, I know." She couldn't help but giggle a little bit. "Anyways, we need to get out of this area." She pulled out a map that Liam didn't even notice she was carrying either. Nikki turned the map to fit her direction and then plotted her course. "First we need to make our way a mile north and about a quarter mile west." She pointed the flashlight forward to show the directions they needed to take. "When we reach that point we'll be right under a gas station and hopefully behind it." She hurried off and Liam followed after. The water was shallow so they didn't need to worry about that slowing them down.

They finally came to a split, which meant that they had reached the first point. Nikki pointed the light down both passageways. "OK. Nothing coming from the East tunnel. Not much further." They both turned left and continued on. However, just as they thought they were in the clear they heard the sloshing of water behind them. Thinking they were being followed, Nikki turned the flashlight off and grabbed a hold of Liam and then the wall. Both of them felt their way the rest of the way. Once Nikki was sure they had made it, she turned the light back on for a quick second and pointed it up. They were right under the manhole. She urged Liam to climb first so that he could push the cover open.

As Liam was finally moving it, the sound was getting closer. Moreover, Nikki could hear the familiar snorts. She was right behind him as she forcibly pushed him up and out. She then quickly pushed the cover back on and then looked for something to cover it. That was when she saw and ran over to a blue rolling dumpster. It was nearly empty but it still had a bit of weight to it. "Help me push this over the manhole" she was grunted as she tried pushing herself. Still not speaking a word, he helped her push the dumpster. Once it covered it, they both ran along the back alleyway that was connected to the gas station. As they got further away, the gauntlet changed back and so did Liam's clothes. He was now in nothing but a towel.

"Don't look. I have to change." Liam caught Nikki blushing as she turned around. He reached into his bag and luckily, his clothes were still dry.

"So what was up with that? I thought you were just in a costume to look cool." She had to force herself not to look.

"I'll tell you later when we reach the Antique shop. For right now we need to try and avoid our unwanted friends while heading to the other side of the city." He had left the gauntlet on just in case they ran into a problem. "Now let's go." They got to the end of the alley Liam slowly peeked out into the street. "OK, I see nothing both ways so I say we take a chance."

"I have a better idea." She began tearing his shirt and making Liam look more roughed up than he already was. "Now we walk up to the first house, knock on the door and tell them a sob story." She did just that. He was right behind her as she knocked on the door.

A portly man answered, "What do you want?"

"Sorry to disturb you sir but my friend here was in a fight and I'm trying to get him home. He lives on the other side of the city right by Felicity's Antiques." She gave a really worried look in the hopes that the man would fall for it.

The man looked between the two and sized them up. "Fine. Give me a minute." He shut the door and reappeared a few seconds later. "Now why are you out of school right now?" He walked over to an old two-door pickup truck and only placed the key in the door. "I need to know."

"He got permission to go home and I offered to help." Nikki pulled Liam over as if he could barely walk and Liam just played along. "Do you have any other questions?" Nikki looked through the windows over at the man.

"No but he has to sit in the back. It's always unlocked." He got in the driver side and started the vehicle while and Nikki tried their best to make it seem that he was seriously injured. Nikki helped him up, he sat flat against the passenger window, and Nikki got out and walked over to the passenger side of the truck. Once in, the man immediately pulled off and Nikki rushed to get her seatbelt on.

"Sorry to ask you to do this" Liam was trying with all his might to yell loud enough for the man to hear.

"It's fine. I wasn't doing much anyway." He slowed down and stopped at a red light. "So what was the fight about, if you don't mind me asking?"

"My mother." Liam had to yell again halfway through as the light turned green and the truck began to move. "I don't feel comfortable telling you anymore."

"That's fine. I didn't think you would. At least I tried." The man stopped at another light but this one was different. The red light was stuck. It was then that Liam noticed a strange fog rolling in towards them. Well that was what he thought until it got close enough to get a good look at. The large flock of keese had somehow found them. Liam urged the man to drive through the light but he refused to move. "You may not drive but I do. I would rather not have a ticket and mark on my license." That was when Nikki looked back and saw how close they were. She reached over and stepped on the gas pedal. Sensing the danger of the bats, the gauntlet changed once again. Not only did the light from transformation chase off the keese, it also shocked the man, which then made him swerve a bit and then stop. "WHAT IN THE GODDESSES NAME IS GOING ON? What was that light and why are your clothes different?" The man turned around and expected an honest answer from Liam.

Liam faced the man and met his gaze. "I promise to tell you when we get to where we need to go. But right now, you need to drive like the wind and not look back." Both saw trust in each other's eyes and returned to their original positions. The trucked pulled off and was going nearly twice the speed as before. When there was enough distance between them and the bats, the gauntlet reverted back. This time the man was unfazed by it. They had no other obstacles in their way. This was surprising to all three, as they had finally realized how dead the streets were. Cars lined the curbs but no one else was walking around. Not caring, the man continued on.

By the time they reached their intended destination, the sun was beginning to set. Liam jumped out of the back while the man and Nikki slowly got out of the truck. "OK, now tell me what is going on." The portly man had placed a hand on Liam's chest in the hopes that he would stop but he continued on.

"Just follow us and you'll find out." He walked up to the door of the Antiques shop and slowly pulled it open. "We don't know much ourselves but that's why we came here. Now if there aren't any more questions, we should head inside." Liam headed in the door and watched as Nikki and the driver followed after.

"Can I help you?" A young woman's voice could be heard in the back of the shop.

"Are you Felicity? My mother Heather sent me to find you." Liam looked around and saw things that he never knew existed. He saw chairs that looked more like torture devices and large bowls decorated with various creatures. It rather creped him out a bit. He turned and almost ran into a woman that was standing right in front of him.

"Liam?" She gave him a fairly large hug. "My have you grown. You wouldn't remember me because the last time I saw you, you were just an infant." She walked over to the front window and flipped the 'OPEN' sign to 'CLOSED'. She then motioned all three to the back. "Now that you're here, your Mother's suspicions were correct. I'm also guessing that she went back to the heavens right?" Liam just nodded. Felicity walked over to a locked drawer. It was the only locked one on the wall of drawers that surrounded it. Felicity took a key from her pocket, unlocked the drawer, opened it, and pulled out a large brown book. "Before I get started, I must see what enemies you have seen." She handed the book over to Liam and eyed the gauntlet as he took it from her. "Now, try to remember everything you have seen up until you walked in. Once you feel you have remembered most or all, open the book." Liam closed his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could. Two minutes later, he decided he was ready. He opened the book and saw a list appear with small moving images just left to the names. The list consisted of Moblin, Stalfos, keese, Deku Scrub, and King Scrub. Felicity looked shocked. "You were attacked by Deku Scrubs and their king?" Liam nervously nodded a yes. "Please tell me you didn't kill the king."

"Well we were being attacked and my mother didn't say anything about it." Liam looked at Felicity and hoped that she would believe him.

"I had a feeling." Felicity walked over to a desk, took another large book out, and slammed it on the top of the desk. Luckily, I can fix this issue. Sadly it will take some time." She walked back over to Liam. "Now, about you. I bet you have no clue as to your destiny do you?" She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I think you all should sit. This will take a while."


	6. Chapter 5

Liam, Nikki, and the driver found a random chair to sit in. "As you should already know by now, your mother and I are both Goddesses," Felicity pulled a chair closer to Liam, turned it around, and sat on it backwards. "Back before Hyrule became a city and while it was still separate nations, me, your mother, and the other two Goddesses decided to live alongside everyone here on Earth. The underworld gave in too easily for us to trust." She sized Liam up once more to make sure he was capable of handling what was about to come. "It was your mother that foresaw the return of the king and the birth of a new hero. I see the warrior's soul within you but you bear no resemblance to the Hero that has saved these lands in the past."

"But what does any of this have to do with me?"Liam looked to Felicity hoping to get all of his questions answered. "Also, what am I to do when my home has been destroyed? Why would my mother send me here?"

Felicity giggled a little at how much Liam was asking. "You shall get all your questions answered in time. Back to what I was explaining earlier, your mother had foreseen a new Hero and a veil being lifted from this city. As you may have noticed, the children and teens act normal while most or all adults, except us Goddesses, act like drones. The streets are almost always clear, even though the curbs are lined with cars." She waited for a nod from the trio before continuing but was stopped by the man.

"If all of us adults are like mindless drones, how come I'm not like that now?" The man checked his head, mostly out of paranoia, to make sure nothing was attached to it.

"That is a good question and I believe I have the answer." The woman turned on a radio and instructed the man to listen closely. As he did his face went blank. The only thing that was play was the evening news. "Do you listen to the radio or watch Tv a lot?"

"Now that you mention it I watch it almost constantly." The man began to look shocked and a bit disappointed in himself. "I used to own a custom bike shop when one day I sold it. I don't remember why though."

"Liam," Felicity turned her attention back to him. "This city is being controlled by the media. A bit cliche I know. Anyways, magic is being broadcasted through the news." She got up and put the chair away. She then turned her attention back to the man. "My theory is that you were interrupted during a special news broadcast. I am not one hundred percent sure. She then turned back to Liam, "The rest I will tell you tomorrow. You and your friends can stay here for the night." She headed to the wall of drawers and pulled out some herbs. "I know a few recipes for healing potions. They may not do much but they will help enough for you to face the day tomorrow." She pointed to a door that sat just behind the crew. "Now take those stairs up to my apartment. The bath is easy to find so Liam and Nikki, you two should take a shower, and make sure you clean well. I didn't want to say this before but both of smell horrendous." Both Felicty and the man laughed at the comment. "Oh and don't worry about clothes, there will be a surprise waiting for you all upstairs." The three looked at each other and were confused. Either way, Liam and Nikki knew that they stunk and needed to clean themselves so they all headed up through the door they were directed towards. The staits weren't long but it was a tight fit. The man just barely fit in the hallway. Upstairs was simple; a long hallway with five rooms. Two on the left, two on the right, and one at the end. The walls were a plain off white and was worn in places. Downstairs, Felicity closed her eyes, mumbled a prayer and snapped her fingers. Back upstairs, the trio saw a puff of smoke come from the room at the end of the hall. They approached it and inside was a large armoire and attached to the doors was a note. "Just grab the handle and wait two seconds. The clothes you need shall appear." Liam was the firs to do as the note said. He grabbed a hold of the doors and counted to two. He swung the doors open and a black shirt with a logo of two clashing swords hung from a hanger. Below was a pair of baggy pants with a chain-link belt. Next to the pants sat a pair steel toed boots. He looked in the drawers and found a pair of socks and underwear. He quickly grabbed all his stuff and moved so Nikki could have her turn. Inside she found a dark green shirt and a pair of Khakis. Like Liam she had a pair of boots. She opened the drawer that contained her un-mentionables and and tried to hide them from the boys. She grabbed the rest of the clothes. And moved aside. Finally it was the mans turn. Thinking he needed to change as well he opened the armoire only to find nothing.

"Well I think that means you are not in need of new clothes." Liam laughed and began to walk back out towards the hallway. "Now excuse me while I take the first shower. I was attempting to take one before I was attacked." He walked out of the room and was stunned to see that the hallway looked longer. Three new rooms could be seen just outside the one they were in. They each peeked into one of the new rooms and saw a bedroom with an added bathroom.

"Not the strangest thing I havebseen today." Nikki shrugged and walked into the room she was facing. "Well excuse me while I take my shower." She closed the door and the other two did the same.

Liam was happy to finally be able to feel clean. He undressed and carefully hid the gauntlet, mostly as a precaution, and stepped into the bathroom. It was small but it was big enough for him. He started the water and made it as hot as he could handle. As soon as he stepped inside and saw the dirt practically melt away, he started feeling refreshed. He even started feeling his strength returning. Not questioning about it, he proceeded to wash himself off. He took quite awhile only to be sure he was as clean as he could get. Once done, he shut off the water, grabbed the towel hanging from the rod just outside and stepped out and dried himself off. He got his ne clothes on, except for the socks, shoes, and the gauntlet, and jumped on the bed and began to relax. He held the gauntlet in the air and stared at it. He thought to himself "Why me? Why was I the one chosen to do all of this?" He put the gauntlet on and made a fist. "If I am the one to save the city, why don't I feel like it? What makes a Hero anyways?" Liam had many questions but he knew he would soon come to understand everything. In the middle of his thoughts a knock at the door had interrupted him. "Door is unlocked." He looked up as the door opened and saw that it was the man they roped in to driving them there.

"Sorry if I interrupted you." He sat on the edge of the bed and extended a hand out towards Liam. "I haven't properly introduced myself. My name is Michael, Mike for short." Liam accepted the introduction and shook his hand. "It's hard to believe such things could be happening all while most of us are under a spell." Liam shook his head in agreement. "Anyway, I want to give you something tomorrow." He pointed in a direction "We are close to a storage center. Inside is a special bike I made and since I don't need it, I think you could use it. We'll leave early in the morning." Without an agreement from Liam, he got up an left. After that Liam laid back and drifted off to sleep. His dreams were fill with memories of his mother and what had happened up until now. He just couldn't stop thinking about it. To him, this was all unexpected. He knew he was never told of these thing as a child and now he knew why. Not only was he scared about the evil that still lurked in the shadows, he was mortified that they were after him, his mother, who he now knows is a Goddess, and the other Goddesses that live in Hyrule City. But he knew that fear did not matter. From what he learned in school, he knew what could happen if evil ever took over.

In the morning, Liam was the first of the three to wake. He walked downstairs to see that Felicity was still hard at work or had just started the potion. "Good morning." Liam grabbed a chair and sat down. "So before the others wake up, what else was it you needed to tell me?"

Felicity grabbed some small bottles and began filling them up. "You remember me mentioning that your mother foresaw a new Hero and a veil being lifted right?" She lined the bottles up in a neat row. "Well I failed to tell you what that veil symbolizes. As you already know, you can see through everyone's disguise and see their true forms. That is a sign that you are a Hylian. Hylians were the guardians that protected the lands when the Hero was not needed. They watched each part of the land closely and honed their skills to spot evil anywhere. Because of this, creatures that came from the underworld adapted themselves and began to disguise themselves. That is how we came to the idea to disguise everyone after the treaty. Most Hylians died out and those that are still around no longer have that ability. So you're very special." She walked over to Liam and grabbed the arm with the gauntlet. "I knew your mother was working on a powerful item to help the new Hero but I had mo idea it was this powerful." She placed a hand over top. "From what I can tell, it's a device that can hold items in a separate dimension. I can see that the dimension she created is protected. I can't see what it holds so that's good." She put Liam's arm down and walked over to the bottles. "If I cannot view the dimension, no one else can. Your mother was very powerful. She must have used many st of her powers if she was defeated so easily. Now I want you to grab these bottles and add them to your dimensional storage." Liam grabbed a bottle and concentrated hard and the bottle disappeared. One by one the bottles went. Five in total. "It seems you already know how to use it. That's good because I honestly would have been able to help you." Felicity let out a chuckle. "Aside from the jokes, you are indeed the Hero your mother mentioned. Well not quite yet but you will be. Heather also told me she saw the return of the darkness. From that I figured she meant the King of Evil. How this could happen I do not know but I can tell you that if he is returning, that is not good. Every time he is destroyed, he grows stronger when he returns. We have tried sealing him only to see the seal fail after a time."

"Am I interrupting something?" Mike was just standing in the doorway. "I need to take Liam over to a storage area to give him something."

"Drink this and then you can be on your way." Felicity held a Ladle up to Liam's mouth and tilted it once he opened it. "The potion works instantly so no need to worry about waiting for any effects." Liam saw that she was right. He felt his wounds close a bit and even more of his strength had returned. "Oh and don't worry about your other friend. I will tell her where you went and that you'll be back soon. I need to have a chat with her anyway."

Not wasting any time, Liam and Mike were out the door without saying another word. The sun was shining brightly but Liam saw the City much differently now. He now knew that there were things that most others couldn't see or failed to accept. Regardless, Liam got in the truck and was quiet the whole drive over to the storage bay. The sign read '$5 Store n' Go'. The place sounded cheap but it looked nice. The roffs were a bright red and the buildings were a plain white. They pulled up to an outside storage locker numbered 216. Mike turned the truck off and reached over and grabbed a key from the glove compartment. They both got out and approached the garage.

"Now before I open this door, I want to tell you a little bit about me." Mike leaned against the door and forgot about his current weight. The door was creaking a bit but nothing serious. "My shop was a custom bike shop. Most custom models that customers wanted were simple and not a that special. I spent 10 years on a project of my very own. I wanted to make the fastest, and strongest bike in all of Hyrule. Sadly I could not test the bike. Whatever happened to everyone, happened before I could take her out." He put the key in the lock, unlocked it, and began to pull the door open. "I would like to introduce you to Epona." The door came up and inside was a motorcycle with a red body and a horse logo. "I know you don't have your license yet but I have a feeling you two were meant for each other."

"I don't know. I have no idea how to even drive a car." Liam walked over to the bike an placed his hand on the gas tank. In an instant even he felt a connection. He didn't know how to drive but he got on nonetheless.

"You'll be needing these." Mike tossed a pair of keys to Liam. "One key is for the ignition and the other is for the gas tank. Well you don't really need to worry about actual gas. I have found a long lasting energy source and modified the engine to accommodate it. Still the secret to the bike is in that tank so do not let anyone get that key."

"You have my word." Liam started up Epona and she roared like a lion. It was if he already knew how to drive. He revved her up to warm up the engine a bit before riding it out of the garage. "She looks and sounds beautiful."

"You can follow me back to the shop." Mike got into his truck and began to head out. But the sky suddenly went dark. It wasn't clouds but the flock of keese again. He rolled down the window and yelled back to Liam, "We have to split up. I'm sure you remember where the shop is. We'll meet up there after we lose them." Mike sped off in one direction and Liam sped off in the other. The keese didn't split like Mike thought. They all began to follow Liam. Nevertheless he could not allow them to find the shop and he still thought it best to split up.

"And here I thought we would be OK for a while." The gauntlet changed once again and Liam sped up. It was pointless as the keese were keeping up with him. "How am I going to lose them?" He looked to both sides looking for any way he could lose them. He turned down a street and saw a field with woods. "Maybe." He turned into the field and rode across with the keese still right behind. He hoped for the best and entered the forest. He was right, the keese flew up and didn't follow but they just flew over. They could still see him through the tops of the trees. He kept riding in the hopes of finding a place to hide. He suddenly happened upon an empty shack. He pulled up as close as he could and ran to the door in the hopes that it was unlocked. Luckily it didn't have a lock. He popped inside and quickly shut the door. He started piling up everything he could. He even did what he could to block the fire place. He then heard the keese swarm around the shack.

Hours pass and he couldn't think of anything that he could use to defeat them. He knew a sword would be useless against flying enemies. He sat there thinking of how he could get out of this mess. He was alone and no one knew where he was. Or so he thought. He began hearing screeching coming from dying keese. He peeked out the window and saw an arrow appear from the distance. It was as though the keese only had interest for him. He kept watching as one by one the were being shot out of the air. He then saw a familiar figure appear from behind a tree. It was Nikki. She was handling it like a pro. It looked as if she had an infinite amount of arrows. Before he knew it she had finished off all of the keese. The danger had passed and the gauntlet went back to normal. He then unblocked the door and rushed back outside. "How did you know I was here? Not only that, how did you know I was in trouble and how did you get here?"

"Mike showed up and told us what happened. I remembered that you still had your book in your bag that we left in the truck." She put her bow away and walked over to Liam. "Felicity then used the book to see your location." She pointed to the bow on her back "Oh and there's a bow for you too back at the shop. It turns out that I'm destined to help you in your journey. Felicity will explain everything when we get back."

"Well if everything is back to normal, I think we should go while we can." He ushered her towards Epona. He got on the front, started her up and sped off. Liam started feeling the darkness that covered the City. Just like at the Cathedral, he felt another presence inside him. He felt himself changing but he wasn't sure how he would be once the change had completed. Would his friends still like him? Would they even recognize him? These thoughts haunted him as they made their way back to the shop.


End file.
